Product Cost Manager
About the job
- A completed university degree in economics/business administration or industrial engineering, or in natural sciences with additional business administration qualification.
- At least 3 years of professional experience in the commercial environment of development projects.
- Very good knowledge of the technical and commercial relationships involved in product development.
- Entrepreneurial thinking and action, with a particular focus on cost and value optimization.
- Very good written and spoken German and English.
- Strong teamwork, communication, and social skills.
- Assertiveness and strong self-motivation.
- Budget defined cost targets for an entire system down to object level within a target-costing process, in close coordination with product functions.
- Regularly review compliance with cost targets in close, including technological, coordination with other PDI functions and product owners, ensuring the cost optimum between objects and the overall system.
- Aggregate individual cost items regularly into a complete system cost overview and ensure results are transparent, current, and complete.
- Initiate and coordinate Design-to-Value activities with internal functions such as product management, development, supply chain management, and manufacturing, taking relevant business-plan parameters into account, including investments, research and development, throughput time, warranty, and risk.
- Report functionally to senior product or product-line management and the project controller, and develop possible solutions through action management when costs deviate from targets.
- Apply available product cost-management methods and ensure their further optimization and introduction into the organization.
- Manage projects related to manufacturing-cost optimization.
About the company
ZEISS is a global leader in optics and optoelectronics, serving medical professionals, industrial manufacturers, consumers, and the semiconductor industry. It designs and sells high-precision optical instruments, medical devices, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and vision care products such as corrective lenses and eye-health services. Its products rely on advanced optics and imaging technologies to deliver accurate inspection, diagnosis, and manufacturing outcomes across healthcare, industrial quality control, consumer optics, and chip fabrication. What sets ZEISS apart is its breadth and depth: a long-standing scale in multiple markets, integrated solutions across optics, imaging, metrology, and precision engineering, and a commitment to sustainability in electricity use and carbon emissions. The company’s goal is to advance optics and optoelectronics by providing reliable, high-quality tools and services worldwide while operating in a sustainable way.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$67.7M
Headquarters
Oberkochen, Germany
Founded
2001
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- First-half 2025/26 revenue reached €5.841 billion, with EBIT rising to €955 million.
- ZEISS CLINIC 360 won FDA 510(k) clearance on August 19, 2026.
- EURETINA 2026 launches expanded retina imaging, cataract systems, and DORC brand integration.
What critics are saying
- ZEISS Meditec plans up to 1,000 cuts by 2029, signaling margin pressure.
- Göttingen workers entered mediation in February 2026 after Zeiss targeted roughly 140 jobs.
- ASML scanner timing controls ZEISS SMT revenue; any slip delays optics demand immediately.
What makes Zeiss unique
- ZEISS supplies ASML's exclusive EUV optics, anchoring High-NA lithography through 2030.
- ZEISS Medical Technology bundles imaging, software, and surgery across one ophthalmic workflow stack.
- ZEISS CLINIC 360 and Collaborative Care tie devices, cloud analytics, and referrals together.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Plan
- Paid Vacation
- Performance Bonus